Columbus Blue Jackets Season Preview

The Blue Jackets are loaded with young talent on defence and at forward, making them one of the best teams in the league again this year. They also have good goaltending in Sergei Bobrovsky and they may have made the biggest splash this off season bringing in Artemi Panarin from the Blackhawks. If the young players continue to improve and Bobrovsky performs like he did a year ago, the Bluejackets could be on the road to their first Stanley Cup.

Arrivals/Departures

Arrivals: Artemi Panarin, Jordan Schroeder, Andre Benoit, Zac Dalpe, Tyler Motte, Cameron Gaunce
Departures: Scott Hartnell, Sam Gagner, William Karlsson, Kyle Quincey, Lauri Korpikoski, Anton Forsberg



Forwards:

The Jackets finally added a superstar to their already deep forward core in Artemi Panarin who will help a forward group that lacked a true dynamic player. Panarin dominated his first two seasons in Chicago and with an even bigger role in Columbus he could compete for the Art Ross Trophy. Alexander Wennberg is a very underrated play-maker who netted 59 points last year cruising past his career high and with Panarin on his line he should improve on that total. The other first-line winger will be Cam Atkinson who also had a career year scoring 35 goals. The first line is flashy and will score a lot of goals while the second line will be the shutdown gritty line. Two-way forward Brandon Dubinsky is the center of the line and he is always good for 40 points while shutting down opposing teams stars. Nick Foligno is the leader of the team and has turned into a good two-way power forward in his time with the Jackets. Boone Jenner took a step back last season after netting 30 goals the year before but he should once again push for 30 if he regains his top form. The third line could be full of young unproven players who could all be future stars. Oliver Bjorkstrand has shown flashes in two short tenures for the NHL squad and if he can crack the roster full time he could surprise with a 40-point season. Sonny Milano would be the other young winger on the line if he can crack the roster; Milano has wicked hands and could provide Columbus with secondary scoring. Pierre-Luc Dubois should center the third line as he was drafted third overall in 2016 and it is time for him to make the jump to the NHL. Matt Calvert has been a good third or fourth liner his whole career and will continue to be that. Josh Anderson had a good first full year in the league last season; he is more of a power forward who plays a physical game but he proved he can score with 17 goals. Jordan Schroeder was brought in from the Wild to be the fourth-line center. Lukas Sedlak and Tyler Motte would likely be the depth forwards if the young guys make the leap.



Defenceman:

With all the young talent on the blue line, the Bluejackets should have one of the best defences in the league for years to come. If Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine were not so good last year, Zach Werenski would have ran away with the Calder Trophy. If Werenski does not hit the sophomore slump he could soon be considered among the elite defenceman in the NHL. Seth Jones also had his best season as a pro and at only 22 years old, Jones and Werenski could be the best pair in the league for a decade if they can both stay healthy. Jack Johnson is the veteran shutdown leader on the defensive core as he no longer contributes offensively like he used too but he is still a good third defenceman. David Savard is the other top-four defenceman who has come out of nowhere and to cap off the top four. Ryan Murray is the other defenceman although he has not became what people thought he could be when he was drafted second overall in 2012 but injuries have caused part of his fall meaning he still has hope to be a top-four defenceman when Johnson retires. The last defensive spot will be a battle at training camp between Gabriel Carlsson, Scott Harrington and Markus Nutivaara.



Goaltending:

Sergei Bobrovsky might have been the best goalie in the NHL last season winning his second Vezina trophy taking the Blue Jackets to the playoffs. Bobrovsky struggled in the playoffs though so it will be interesting to see what Bobrovsky shows up. Joonas Korpisalo is one of the best up-and-coming goalies in the league and should help win some games as the backup.

Projected Lineup:

Artemi Panarin	Alexander Wennberg	Cam Atkinson
Boone Jenner	Brandon Dubinsky	Nick Foligno
Sonny Milano	Pierre-Luc Dubois	Oliver Bjorkstrand
Matt Calvert	Jordan Schroeder	Josh Anderson
Tyler Motte	Lukas Sedlak	Zac Dalpe

Zach Werenski	Seth Jones
Jack Johnson	David Savard
Gabriel Carlsson	Ryan Murray
Markus Nutivaara	Scott Harrington

Sergei Bobrovsky

Joonas Korpisalo

Matiss Kivlenieks

Top 10 Players:

10. Jack Johnson

9. David Savard

8. Brandon Dubinsky

7. Nick Foligno

6. Seth Jones

5. Cam Atkinson

4. Alexander Wennberg

3. Zach Werenski

2. Sergei Bobrovsky



1. Artemi Panarin

Projected Finish: 106 Points (1st in Metropolitan)
Last Year: 108 Points (3rd in Metropolitan)

Photo credit for Artemi Panarin goes to http://www.sportsnet.ca/. Alex Wennberg goes to http://www.foxsports.com/. Zach Werenski goes to http://www.thehockeynews.com/. Sergei Bobrovsky goes to https://www.nhl.com/.

NHL Draft Week Trade Thoughts

Golden Knight Receive: 2017 2nd Round Pick
Hurricanes Receive: Trevor Van Riemsdyk, 7th Round Pick

The Knights first trade after the Expansion Draft was shipping out one of the defenceman from the crowded position. Vegas got good return for Van Riemsdyk but I would of rather seen him stay there and move an older defenceman even if it was for lower picks. Carolina has a great young defence now; watch for them to compete for the post season next year.

Winner: Hurricanes



Oilers Receive: Ryan Strome
Islanders Receive: Jordan Eberle

Neither Jordan Eberle or Ryan Strome have lived up to the hype that surrounded both of them when they first entered the league. Eberle lit up the Flames in his first game ever and after a few solid seasons was awarded a $6.0-million deal per year. Eberle was a ghost for Edmonton in their playoff run and they also cleared cap space in the move to sign reliable Kris Russell. Ryan Strome is a former fifth-overall pick, is still only 23 years old and after a 50-point season produced 28- and 30-point campaigns. The Isles were looking for John Tavares' second-hand man after Kyle Okposo left and Eberle may be that while Ryan Strome will get a new opportunity alongside Connor McDavid.

Winner: Both

Canadiens Receive: David Schlemko
Golden Knights Receive: 2019 5th Round Pick

If Vegas was just picking Schlemko to trade him why would they not have taken a forward from San Jose such as speedster Mikkel Boedker or veteran Joel Ward. Even if they traded one of them the return would have been better than a fifth rounder. Schlemko will slot in nicely playing bottom pair minutes for Claude Julien in Montreal after trading Nathan Bealieu, Mikhail Sergachev and losing Alexei Emelin in the expansion draft.

Winner: Canadiens

Blackhawks Receive: Connor Murphy, Laurent Dauphin
Coyotes Receive: Niklas Hjalmarsson

Niklas Hjalmarsson is one of the game's elite defensive defenceman and Chicago has been his home since being drafted in 2005. He won three Stanley Cups there and with the Hawks in cap problem yet again, it was time for both sides to move along. Hjalmarsson will play alongside fellow Swede Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the desert. Stan Bowman has been perusing Connor Murphy for over a year now and he will finally have the big 24-year-old player on his team. Murphy should improve his game alongside the best defenceman of the era in Duncan Keith. Laurent Dauphin is a solid NHL prospect and has already laced up the skates for 32 NHL games.

Winner: Coyotes

Blackhawks Receive: Brandon Saad, Anton Forsberg, 2018 5th Round Pick
Bluejackets Receive: Artemi Panarin, Tyler Motte,  2017 6th Round Pick

I can't believe Artemi Panarin got traded after winning the Calder trophy last year and finishing seventh in the NHL in points over the last two years. Panarin is one of the game's best left-wingers alongside Jamie Benn, Brad Marchand, Alex Ovechkin and Johnny Gaudreau. The Bluejackets have many great young players but Panarin is now the best of the lot surpassing the likes of Cam Atkinson and Alexander Wennberg. Brandon Saad is going back to the place where he won Lord Stanley's prize in 2013 and 2015. The two-way player will replace Marian Hossa who will miss all of next season because of side affects from medicine for a skin disorder. Toews and Kane wanted Saad back so Bowman made sure they got what they wanted. Chicago was also worried they would not be able to sign Panarin in two years so they traded for Saad's long-term deal.

Winner: Bluejackets

Bluejackets Receive: Jordan Schroeder
Wild Receive: Dante Salituro

The Wild want other young players like Joel Eriksson Ek to be full-time players next year so they moved Jordan Schroeder who played 37 games for them last year. Schroeder can be a decent fourth line or depth forward for Columbus. Dante Salituro laced it up for the London Knights of the OHL last year and has a long way to go to play in the NHL.

Winner: Bluejackets

Coyotes Receive: Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta
Rangers Receive: Anthony DeAngelo, 2017 7th Overall Pick .

The Coyotes made a splash on Friday acquiring their new first-line center with their new starting goalie. On a good team Derek Stepan would be your second-line center but for now the consistent 50-point producer will play top-line minutes on a young Arizona team. Antti Raanta has tons of potential to be a great starter in this league but playing behind Corey Crawford in Chicago and King Henrik in New York, he has never been given the chance to start. Anthony DeAngelo has had problems with teammates in junior before and that affected his draft stock and may be a reason New York will be his third franchise. Even with off-ice problems DeAngelo will be a solid top-four defenceman in the Big Apple. With the seventh overall pick Glen Sather selected Swedish center Lias Andersson.
  
Winner: Tie

Blues Receive: Brayden Schenn
Flyers Receive: Jori Lehtera, 27th Overall Pick, 2018 Conditional 1st Round Pick

Brayden Schenn has been a consistent 25-goal scorer and 50-point man in Philadelphia so they probably traded him to give number-two overall pick Nolan Patrick a place in the top six. Schenn was near the top of the NHL in power play goals last year and will fill the net for St. Louis alongside Vladimir Tarasenko. Jori Lehtera broke out in his rookie year three seasons ago getting a heavy contract from the Blues but he has not lived up to it producing 22 points last year. With the 27th overall pick the Flyers selected center Morgan Frost.

Winner: Blues

Blues Receive: Oskar Sundqvist, 31st Overall Pick
Penguins Receive: Ryan Reaves, 51st Overall Pick

Moving down 20 spots in the draft seems like a big price to pay for Ryan Reaves who is one of the few enforcers left in the game but the price is worth it. Reaves will be in Pittsburgh to protect the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. In 28 games, Oskar Sundqvist has only produced four points but he should be a solid prospect and may crack the roster next year. The Blues selected Klim Kostin while the Penguins selected Zachary Lauzon.

Winner: Penguins



Flames Receive: Travis Hamonic, Conditional 4th Round Pick
Islanders Receive: 2018 1st Round Pick, 2018 2nd Round Pick, Conditional 2nd Round Pick

The Flames gave up a lot and maybe too much for Travis Hamonic but he gives them one of the best defensive cores in the NHL teaming up with Mark Giordano, TJ Brodie and Dougie Hamilton. Hamonic will help the other three offensive defenceman as he plays a more gritty stay-at-home game. Hamonic requested a trade over a year ago but it took this long for Garth Snow to ship him out of New York. A first-round pick with two seconds is a good return for someone who does not want to play with your team and missed half of last year. There is a good chance that the Islanders get a good NHL player with these picks and a good chance the Flames will be able to compete with the big boys in the West next year so both teams got what they needed; they both win.

Winner: Both

Photo credit for Jordan Eberle, Artemi Panarin and Derek Stepan goes to https://www.nhl.com/. Travis Hamonic goes to https://www.nhl.com/islanders/